JP7622026B2 - Rail and rail mounting structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a ceiling-embedded rail and rail mounting structure that slidably supports the sliding parts of a sliding door, such as the door head and door rollers.

Among sliding doors, there are ones that open and close an opening by sliding laterally along the wall next to the opening, such as single sliding doors and split sliding doors (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

In addition, for some sliding doors of this type, as shown in Figure 9, the rail 120 that slidably supports the sliding parts such as the door head and the door rollers is sometimes attached inside the ceiling rather than on the ceiling surface, taking design into consideration. Normally, when attaching the rail 120 inside the ceiling, the rail 120 is first fixed to the ceiling base material 103 before the ceiling finishing material 104 is applied, and then the ceiling finishing material 104 is applied so that the ceiling surface is formed near the bottom end of the rail 120.

JP 2020-180525 A

However, in the rail mounting structure shown in FIG. 9, the rail 120 is placed away from the wall W so that the sliding door 110 does not come into contact with the wall W (or the opening frame 102 if the opening frame 102 protrudes forward beyond the front surface of the wall W), leaving a gap between the rail 120 and the wall W. To close this gap, it is necessary to provide a thin ceiling finishing material 104 between the rail 120 and the pillar 107 inside the wall W, and it is also necessary to provide a separate base material 106 to fix the ceiling finishing material 104, which creates the problem of making ceiling construction time-consuming. Furthermore, the thin ceiling finishing material 104 may crack when fixed with screws, making ceiling construction difficult.

The present invention was made in consideration of these points, and its purpose is to provide a ceiling-embedded rail and rail mounting structure that makes ceiling construction easier.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a shielding section on the rail that shields the gap between the wall and the rear side wall of the rail that slidably supports the sliding section of the sliding door.

Specifically, the first invention is based on a rail that slidably supports the sliding part of a sliding door that slides horizontally along a wall in front of the wall in which the opening is formed to open and close the opening.

The first invention is characterized in that it comprises a rail body having a plate-like upper wall portion extending horizontally and first and second side wall portions extending downward from both ends of the upper wall portion in the width direction, the sliding portion being configured to slide freely between the first and second side wall portions, and a plate-like shielding portion extending from the lower end of the second side wall portion to the opposite side to the first side wall portion, the shielding portion having a width capable of shielding the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall when the rail body is attached so that it is in the ceiling in front of the wall and the second side wall portion is located rearward of the first side wall portion.

In the first invention, the rail extends outward (opposite the first side wall) from the lower end of one of the two side wall portions of the rail body (the second side wall portion), and has a plate-shaped shielding portion having a width capable of shielding the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall when the rail is attached inside the ceiling in front of the wall. Therefore, when the rail body is inside the ceiling in front of the wall and the tip of the shielding portion (the end opposite the second side wall portion) is attached to the wall next to the opening, the shielding portion covers and conceals the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall. By using such a rail as a ceiling-embedded rail, it is no longer necessary to prepare and install a thin ceiling finishing material to close the gap between the second side wall portion of the rail and the wall, and there is no need to separately install a base material for fixing the thin ceiling finishing material, making the construction of the ceiling easier. Therefore, according to the first invention, a ceiling-embedded rail that makes the construction of the ceiling easier can be provided.

The second invention is the first invention, wherein the rail body further includes a flange portion that protrudes from the lower end of the first side wall portion toward the opposite side to the second side wall portion, and the width of the shielding portion is greater than the width of the flange portion.

In the second invention, the rail has a flange that protrudes outward (opposite the second side wall) from the lower end of the first side wall of the rail body. Therefore, when the rail is attached to the ceiling base material and then the ceiling finish material is installed, even if a gap occurs between the ceiling finish material and the outer surface of the first side wall (the surface opposite the second side wall) against which the end surface of the ceiling finish material is butted, the flange can hide the gap.

Incidentally, some conventional ceiling-embedded rails also have flanges like the one above. Conventional ceiling-embedded rails are designed to have ceiling finish materials applied to both sides of the rail in the width direction, and flanges are similarly formed on the lower ends of the two side walls so as to hide the gaps between the two side walls of the rail and the ceiling finish materials that are abutted against each side wall.

On the other hand, in the second invention, it is assumed that the ceiling finishing material is applied to the front side of the rail body (front side of the first side wall portion) from one end to the other end in the length direction, while the ceiling finishing material is provided only on the part facing the opening on the rear side of the rail body (rear side of the second side wall portion), and the ceiling finishing material is not applied to the part facing the wall, and the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall is shielded by a shielding portion. Therefore, the shielding portion extending outward from the lower end of the second side wall portion is formed so that its tip (the end opposite the second side wall portion) reaches the wall next to the opening and is wider than the flange portion protruding outward from the lower end of the first side wall portion. With this configuration, it is possible to shield the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall by the shielding portion.

The third invention is the first or second invention, characterized in that the shielding portion is formed integrally with the rail body.

In the third invention, the shielding portion can be easily formed.

The fourth invention is the second invention, characterized in that the rail body further has a second flange portion having the same width as the flange portion protruding from the lower end of the second side wall portion to the side opposite the first side wall portion, and the shielding portion is formed separately from the rail body and has an engagement portion that engages with the second flange portion of the rail body.

In the fourth invention, the shielding portion is formed separately from the rail body and is formed to engage with the second flange portion. With this configuration, a conventional rail having flange portions similarly formed on the lower ends of the two side wall portions can be used as the rail body, and a separate shielding portion that can engage with the second flange portion of the rail body can be simply added to provide a ceiling-embedded rail that facilitates ceiling construction.

The fifth invention is based on a rail mounting structure that mounts a rail inside the ceiling to slidably support the sliding part of a sliding door that opens and closes the opening by sliding horizontally along the wall in front of the wall in which the opening is formed.

The fifth invention is characterized in that the rail is the rail according to the first or second invention, the rail body is in the ceiling in front of the wall, the second side wall portion is behind the first side wall portion, the rear end of the shielding portion is attached to the ceiling underlayment at a position where it reaches the wall, and the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall is shielded by the shielding portion.

In the fifth invention, the rail with a shielding portion is used, and the rail is attached in a position where the rail body is inside the ceiling in front of the wall and the rear end of the shielding portion reaches the wall next to the opening. By attaching the rail in such a position, the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall can be shielded by the shielding portion, and there is no need to prepare and install a thin ceiling finishing material to close the gap between the second side wall portion of the rail and the wall, and there is no need to separately install a base material for fixing the thin ceiling finishing material, making the construction of the ceiling easier. Therefore, according to the fifth invention, it is possible to provide an installation structure for a ceiling-embedded rail that makes the construction of the ceiling easier.

As explained above, according to the present invention, a rail that supports the sliding part of the sliding door slidably is provided with a shielding part that shields the gap between the wall and the second side wall part of the rail, and therefore it is possible to provide a ceiling-embedded rail and rail mounting structure that makes ceiling construction easier.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a sliding door using a rail according to a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a closed state in which an opening is covered by the sliding door. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sliding door using the rail according to the first embodiment of the present invention, showing an open state in which the opening is not covered by the sliding door. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the rail. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a rail according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view equivalent to FIG. 3, showing a rail mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view equivalent to FIG. 4, showing a rail mounting structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional mounting structure for a rail embedded in a ceiling.

The following describes in detail the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The following description of the embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

First Embodiment of the Invention
-Overall configuration of sliding door-
1 and 2 show a sliding door 10 that opens and closes a rectangular opening 1 formed in a wall W, with Fig. 1 being a plan view showing a closed state in which the opening 1 is covered by the sliding door 10, and Fig. 2 being a cross-sectional view showing an open state in which the opening 1 is not covered by the sliding door 10. For ease of explanation, the left side, right side, upper side, and lower side of Fig. 1 will be referred to as "left,""right,""upper," and "lower," respectively. Also, the near side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of Fig. 1 will be referred to as "front," and the far side as "rear."

As shown in FIG. 2, the wall W is a large wall structure, and is constructed by fixing boards 8, 8 to the front and rear of a pillar 7 and a partition 9. The opening 1 is formed between two pillars 7, 7 inside the wall W. In this embodiment 1, the left and right ends of the opening 1 are defined by vertical frame members 2, 2 fixed to the end faces of the wall W (the opposing faces of the two pillars 7, 7), the lower end is defined by the floor F, and the upper end is defined by the ceiling C. The vertical frame members 2, 2 are formed to protrude slightly (by about 10 to 14 mm) in the front-to-rear direction from the wall surfaces (front and rear) of the wall W.

The sliding door 10 is supported so as to be freely slidable on a rail 20 attached inside the ceiling C in front of the wall W in which the opening 1 is formed, and opens and closes the opening 1 by sliding left and right along the rail 20.

As will be described in detail later, the rail 20 is provided so that the rail body 21 described later is embedded in the front side of the wall W, in this embodiment 1, in the ceiling C forward of the front ends of the vertical frame members 2, 2, so that the sliding door 10 does not rub against the wall W. The rail 20 extends long in the left-right direction from a position corresponding to the left end of the sliding door 10 in the closed state shown in FIG. 1 to a position corresponding to the right end of the sliding door 10 in the open state shown in FIG. 2.

The sliding door 10 comprises a sliding door main body 11 made of a plate-like body, and a roller member 12. The roller member 12 is fixed to the sliding door main body 11 by embedding a lower fixed part 13 into the upper end of the sliding door main body 11, and an upper roller part (sliding part) 14 is supported so as to be freely slidable on the rail 20. With this configuration, the sliding door 10 is supported so as to be freely slidable on the rail 20 via the roller member 12.

- Rail mounting structure -
3 and 4, the rail 20 has a rail body 21 supporting the wheel portion (sliding portion) 14 of the sliding door 10 attached to the front side of the wall W, more specifically, forward of the front ends of the vertical frame members 2, 2, on a ceiling base material 3 extending in the left-right direction with screws or the like (not shown). A ceiling finishing material 4 is installed around the rail 20 so that the rail body 21 of the rail 20 is embedded in the ceiling C. The ceiling finishing material 4 is attached to the joist 5 with screws or the like so that the lower surface is located at the same height as the upper surface of a flange portion 28 (described later) provided at the lower end of the rail 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rail 20 has a rail body 21 into which the wheel portion (sliding portion) 14 of the sliding door 10 slides freely, and a shielding portion 22 that shields the gap between the rear lower end of the rail body 21 and the wall W.

The rail body 21 has an upper wall portion 23, two side wall portions 24, 25, two receiving portions 26, 26, two pressing portions 27, 27, and a flange portion 28. The upper wall portion 23, the two side wall portions 24, 25, the two receiving portions 26, 26, the two pressing portions 27, 27, and the flange portion 28 are integrally formed by extruding a metal material such as aluminum. In this embodiment 1, the rail body 21 is made by extruding aluminum, anodizing the surface, and then painting. Note that the rail body 21 may be made by extruding aluminum, and then only anodizing the surface, without painting.

The upper wall portion 23 is a long rectangular plate-like piece extending horizontally. The upper wall portion 23 is formed to a length that spans the movable range of the sliding door 10 (the length that spans from the left end of the sliding door 10 in the closed state shown in FIG. 1 to the right end of the sliding door 10 in the open state shown in FIG. 2). The upper wall portion 23 is installed in the ceiling C so as to be a horizontal plate that extends in the left-right and front-back directions.

The two side walls 24, 25 are long rectangular plate-like pieces that extend downward from both ends of the width of the upper wall 23 and in the length direction of the upper wall 23. In this embodiment 1, the two side walls 24, 25 also have portions that protrude slightly upward from both ends of the width of the upper wall 23 and extend in the length direction of the upper wall 23. The two side walls 24, 25 are installed in the ceiling C so that one side wall (first side wall) 24 is the front side and the other side wall (second side wall) 25 is the rear side, and both are vertical plates extending in the up-down and left-right directions.

The two receiving portions 26, 26 are long rectangular plate-like pieces that extend inward from the lower ends of the two side wall portions 24, 25 and in the length direction of the upper wall portion 23. The two receiving portions 26, 26 extend rearward from the lower end of the side wall portion 24 installed at the front side in the ceiling C, and extend forward from the lower end of the side wall portion 25 installed at the rear side, and are installed in the ceiling C so that they form horizontal plates that extend in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. The two receiving portions 26, 26 carry the wheel portion (sliding portion) 14 of the wheel member 12, and support the wheel member 12 so that it can slide freely.

The two pressing parts 27, 27 are elongated parts with a U-shaped cross section that protrude downward from the lower surface of the upper wall part 23 and extend in the length direction of the upper wall part 23. The two pressing parts 27, 27 are provided at positions corresponding to the vertical direction on the two receiving parts 26, 26, respectively, and are provided so that their opening surfaces face each other in the front-rear direction. The two pressing parts 27, 27 press the door roller part 14 from above so that the door roller part (sliding part) 14 of the door roller member 12 placed on the two receiving parts 26, 26 does not come off when sliding and the swinging in the vertical direction is reduced (the sliding door 10 is prevented from jumping up). In other words, the two pressing parts 27, 27 are formed to a size and shape that allows the door roller part 14 to be slidably sandwiched between the receiving parts 26 corresponding to the vertical direction.

The flange 28 is a long rectangular plate-like piece that protrudes outward (to the front when installed) from the lower end of the side wall 24, which is provided at the front side of the ceiling C among the two side walls 24, 25, and extends in the length direction of the upper wall 23. The flange 28 is installed so as to be a horizontal plate extending in the front-rear and left-right directions. The flange 28 is placed on the end of the ceiling finishing material 4 when the ceiling finishing material 4 is installed after the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3. The flange 28 is provided to cover and hide the gap formed between the ceiling finishing material 4 and the outer surface (front surface) of the front side wall 24 to which the end surface of the ceiling finishing material 4 is butted. For this reason, the flange 28 is configured to have a width (width of 1.5 mm to 6 mm) that can cover and hide the above-mentioned gap. In this embodiment 1, the flange 28 is configured to have a width of 2 mm.

The shielding portion 22 is a long rectangular plate-like piece that extends outward (rearward in installed state) from the lower end of the side wall portion 25, which is provided on the rear side of the two side wall portions 24, 25 within the ceiling C, and extends in the longitudinal direction of the upper wall portion 23. In this embodiment 1, the shielding portion 22 is formed integrally with the rail body 21. That is, the shielding portion 22 is formed integrally with the rail body 21 by extruding aluminum together with the rail body 21, anodizing the surface, and then painting. Note that the shielding portion 22 may be formed integrally with the rail body 21 by extruding aluminum together with the rail body 21, and then only anodizing the surface without painting.

The shielding portion 22 is provided to cover and conceal the gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail body 21 and the wall W when the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling C in front of the wall W. Therefore, the shielding portion 22 is configured to have a width (10 mm or more and 50 mm or less) that can shield the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail body 21 and the wall W when the rail 20 is attached so that the rail body 21 is in the ceiling C in front of the wall W. Specifically, in this embodiment 1, the shielding portion 22 is configured to have a width of 31 mm. In this embodiment 1, the distance in the front-rear direction between the sliding door body 11 and the vertical frame material 2 is set to 7 mm, and the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3 at a position where the rear end of the shielding portion 22 abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7 in the wall W. Therefore, if the width of the rail body 21 and the thickness of the sliding door body 11 are the same, the width of the shielding portion 22 should be the sum (25-35 mm) of the distance between the sliding door body 11 and the vertical frame member 2 in the front-to-rear direction (7 mm), the projection of the vertical frame member 2 from the front surface of the wall W (10-14 mm), and the thickness of the board 8 (8-14 mm). By setting the width of the shielding portion 22 in this way and positioning the rail 20 so that the rear end of the shielding portion 22 abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7 inside the wall W, the gap formed between the side wall portion 25 on the rear side of the rail 20 and the wall W is covered and hidden by the shielding portion 22.

If the width of the shielding portion 22 is set as described above and the rail 20 is attached so that the rear end of the shielding portion 22 abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7, the positioning of the rail 20 becomes easier when installing it. On the other hand, if the positioning of the rail 20 can be performed by another means, the installation position of the rail 20 may be left as is and the width of the shielding portion 22 may be set to a width shorter than the above width (a width in which the rear end of the shielding portion 22 does not abut against the front surface of the pillar 7). If the width of the shielding portion 22 is long enough that the rear end of the shielding portion 22 reaches the wall W, the gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W can be covered by the shielding portion 22.

When the shielding portion 22 is installed, approximately half of its length becomes the opening side portion 22A facing the opening 1, and the remaining half becomes the wall side portion 22B facing the wall W beside the opening 1. When the shielding portion 22 is installed, an end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is placed on the opening side portion 22A shown in FIG. 4, but an end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is not placed on the wall side portion 22B shown in FIG. 3. This is because the wall side portion 22B of the shielding portion 22 can cover and hide the gap between the side wall portion 25 on the rear side of the rail 20 and the wall W, eliminating the need to provide the ceiling finishing material 4.

- Sliding door and ceiling installation procedure -
Next, the installation procedure for the sliding door 10 and the ceiling C will be described.

First, the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3 with screws or the like. The rail 20 is fixed to the ceiling base material 3 with the wheel portion (sliding portion) 14 of the wheel member 12 housed within the rail body 21 and both ends in the length direction closed with end caps (not shown). The rail 20 is positioned in a position in the left-right direction where the left end corresponds to the left end of the sliding door 10 in the closed state shown in FIG. 1 and the right end corresponds to the right end of the sliding door 10 in the open state shown in FIG. 2, and in the front-rear direction where the tip (rear end) of the shielding portion 22 of the rail body 21 reaches the wall W next to the opening 1 (right side) (in this embodiment 1, the tip of the shielding portion 22 abuts the front surface of the pillar 7), and is fixed to the ceiling base material 3.

After the rail 20 is installed, the ceiling finishing material 4 is applied. The ceiling finishing material 4 is applied so as to surround the rail 20.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the ceiling finishing material 4 provided on the front side of the rail 20 is positioned so that its rear end surface (end surface) is butted against the front surface of the front side wall portion 24 of the rail body 21 and its rear end rests on the flange portion 28, and is attached to the rafter 5 with screws or the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ceiling finishing material 4 is not provided on the rear side of the rail body 21 where the wall W is located. The gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W is covered by the shielding portion 22 (wall side portion 22B) of the rail 20, so there is no need to provide the ceiling finishing material 4 on the rear side of the rail body 21 where the wall W is located.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, a ceiling finishing material 4 is provided on the rear side of the rail body 21 where there is no wall W (where there is an opening 1). The ceiling finishing material 4 provided in this area is positioned so that its front end is placed on the shielding portion 22 (opening side portion 22A) and is attached to the joist 5 with screws or the like.

After the ceiling finish material 4 is installed, the sliding door body 11 of the sliding door 10 is hung on the rail 20. Specifically, the fixed part 13 of the roller member 12, whose roller part (sliding part) 14 is housed in the rail body 21, is inserted into the groove at the upper end of the sliding door body 11, and the fixed part 13 is fixed to the sliding door body 11. As a result, the sliding door 10 is supported slidably on the rail 20 via the roller member 12.

The sliding door 10 and ceiling C are installed according to the above procedure. The panel 8 of the wall W is installed after the ceiling C is installed.

--Effects of the First Embodiment--
In the first embodiment, the rail 20 includes a plate-shaped shielding portion 22 that extends outward (rearward) from the lower end of the rear side wall portion (second side wall portion) 25 of the two side wall portions 24, 25 of the rail main body 21 and has a width that can shield the gap between the side wall portion 25 and the wall W when the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling C in front of the wall W. Therefore, when the rail 20 is attached to a position where the rail main body 21 is in the ceiling C in front of the wall W and the tip (rear end) of the shielding portion 22 reaches the wall W next to the opening 1, the shielding portion 22 covers and hides the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 and the wall W. By using such a rail 20 as a ceiling-embedded rail, it is no longer necessary to prepare and install a thin ceiling finishing material to close the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W, and there is no need to separately install a base material for fixing the thin ceiling finishing material, which makes the construction of the ceiling C easier. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, a ceiling-embedded rail 20 that makes it easy to install the ceiling C can be provided.

In addition, in this embodiment 1, the rail 20 has a flange 28 that protrudes outward (to the front) from the lower end of the front side wall portion (first side wall portion) 24 of the rail body 21. Therefore, even if a gap is formed between the ceiling finishing material 4 and the outer surface (front surface) of the front side wall portion 24 against which the end surface (rear end surface) of the ceiling finishing material 4 is abutted when the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3 and the ceiling finishing material 4 is installed, the flange 28 can hide the gap.

As shown in FIG. 9, some conventional ceiling-embedded rails 120 also have flanges 128 as described above. In conventional ceiling-embedded rails 120, it is assumed that ceiling finishing materials 104 will be installed on both sides of the rail 120 in the width direction, and flanges 128, 128 are similarly formed on the lower ends of the two side walls 124, 125 so as to hide the gaps formed between the two side walls 124, 125 of the rail 120 and the ceiling finishing materials 104, 104 abutted against each side wall 124, 125.

On the other hand, in this embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the ceiling finishing material 4 is applied to the front side of the rail body 21 (the front side of the front side wall portion 24) from one end to the other end in the length direction by butting it against the rail body 21, while the ceiling finishing material 4 is provided only on the part facing the opening 1 on the rear side of the rail body 21 (the rear side of the rear side wall portion 25), and the ceiling finishing material 4 is not applied to the part facing the wall W, and the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 and the wall W is shielded by the shielding portion 22 (wall portion 22B). Therefore, the shielding portion 22 extending outward (rearward) from the lower end of the rear side wall portion 25 is formed to be wider than the flange portion 28 protruding outward (frontward) from the lower end of the front side wall portion 24. With this configuration, it is possible to shield the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 and the wall W by the shielding portion 22.

In addition, in this embodiment 1, the shielding portion 22 is formed integrally with the rail body 21. With this configuration, the shielding portion 22 can be easily formed.

In addition, in this embodiment 1, the rail 20 with the shielding portion 22 is used, and the rail 20 is attached in a position where the rail body 21 is in the ceiling C in front of the wall W, and the rear end of the shielding portion 22 reaches the wall W next to the opening 1. By attaching the rail 20 in such a position, the shielding portion 22 can shield the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 and the wall W, and it is no longer necessary to prepare and install a thin ceiling finishing material to close the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W, and there is no need to separately install a base material for fixing the thin ceiling finishing material, making the construction of the ceiling C easier. Therefore, according to this embodiment 1, it is possible to provide a ceiling-embedded rail mounting structure that makes the construction of the ceiling C easier.

Second Embodiment of the Invention
A second embodiment of the present invention is similar to the rail 20 of the first embodiment, except that the shielding portion 22 is configured as a separate body from the rail main body 21.

In the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the rail body 21 is formed in a shape symmetrical in the width direction. Specifically, the rail body 21 has an upper wall portion 23, two side wall portions 24, 25, two receiving portions 26, 26, two pressing portions 27, 27, and a flange portion 28, as in the first embodiment, and further has a second flange portion 29. In the second embodiment, the second flange portion 29 is formed continuously with the lower end portion of the rear side wall portion 25, instead of the shielding portion 22. In the second embodiment, each element 23 to 29 of the rail body 21 is integrally formed by extruding a metal material such as aluminum, and the surface is anodized and then painted. In the second embodiment, the rail body 21 may be extruded from aluminum, and then only anodized and not painted.

The second flange 29 is a long rectangular plate-like piece that protrudes outward (rearward when installed) from the lower end of the side wall 25 and extends in the length direction of the upper wall 23. The second flange 29 is installed so as to form a horizontal plate extending in the front-rear and left-right directions. The second flange 29 is configured to have the same width (1.5 mm to 6 mm) as the flange 28 formed continuously with the lower end of the front side wall 24. In this embodiment 2, the second flange 29 is configured to have a width of 2 mm.

When the second flange 29 is installed, approximately half of its length becomes the opening side portion 29A facing the opening 1, and the remaining half becomes the wall side portion 29B facing the wall W beside the opening 1. As with the flange 28, the end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is placed on the opening side portion 29A of the second flange 29 shown in FIG. 8, but the end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is not placed on the wall side portion 29B shown in FIG. 7, and engages with the engaging portion 22a of the shielding portion 22 described below.

As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding portion 22 is a long rectangular plate-like piece extending horizontally and formed separately from the rail main body 21. In the second embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is provided only on the rear side of the rail main body 21 where the wall W is located, as shown in FIG. 7. Therefore, in the second embodiment, although the shielding portion 22 extends in the longitudinal direction of the rail main body 21, it is formed to have a length equal to the length of the portion of the rail main body 21 facing the wall W (approximately half the length of the rail main body 21).

In the second embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is formed separately from the rail body 21, and therefore does not need to be made of the same material as the rail body 21. Like the rail body 21, the shielding portion 22 may be made of aluminum extruded, anodized on the surface, and then painted, or may be made of plastic injection molded. Like the rail body 21, the shielding portion 22 may be made of aluminum extruded, anodized on the surface, and not painted.

In the second embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is also provided to cover and conceal the gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail body 21 and the wall W when the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling C in front of the wall W. Therefore, the shielding portion 22 is configured to have a width (10 mm or more and 50 mm or less) that can shield the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 and the wall W when the rail 20 is attached so that the rail body 21 is in the ceiling C in front of the wall W. In the first embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is configured to have a width of 31 mm. In the second embodiment, the distance in the front-rear direction between the sliding door body 11 and the vertical frame material 2 is set to 7 mm, and the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3 at a position where the rear end of the shielding portion 22 abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7 in the wall W. Therefore, if the width of the rail body 21 and the thickness of the sliding door body 11 are the same, the width of the shielding portion 22 should be the sum (25-35 mm) of the distance between the sliding door body 11 and the vertical frame member 2 in the front-to-rear direction (7 mm), the projection of the vertical frame member 2 from the front surface of the wall W (10-14 mm), and the thickness of the board 8 (8-14 mm). By setting the width of the shielding portion 22 in this way and positioning the rail 20 so that the rear end of the shielding portion 22 abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7 inside the wall W, the gap formed between the side wall portion 25 on the rear side of the rail 20 and the wall W is covered and hidden by the shielding portion 22.

In the second embodiment, the installation position of the rail 20 may be left unchanged, and the width of the shielding portion 22 may be set to a width shorter than the above-mentioned width (a width in which the rear end of the shielding portion 22 does not abut against the front surface of the pillar 7). If the width of the shielding portion 22 is long enough that the rear end of the shielding portion 22 reaches the wall W, the gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W can be covered by the shielding portion 22.

In the second embodiment, an engagement portion 22a that engages with the second flange portion 29 is formed at one end of the width direction of the shielding portion 22, and an abutment portion 22b that abuts against the front surface of the pillar 7 in the wall W to keep the shielding portion 22 in a horizontal position is formed at the other end. The engagement portion 22a is configured to have a groove into which the second flange portion 29 fits, and the shielding portion 22 is supported by the second flange portion 29 by fitting the second flange portion 29 into the groove. The abutment portion 22b is configured as a plate-shaped piece that protrudes upward and extends in the length direction of the shielding portion 22. With this configuration, after the rail body 21 is installed in the ceiling C, the shielding portion 22 is supported by the engagement portion 22a, and is maintained in a horizontal position by simply moving the rail body 21 in the direction of the white arrow in FIG. 6.

The engaging portion 22a may have any shape as long as it can engage with the second flange portion 29 to support the shielding portion 22 when the rail body 21 is moved in the direction of the outline arrow in FIG. 6 after being installed inside the ceiling C. Also, if the shielding portion 22 can be maintained in a horizontal position simply by the engaging portion 22a engaging with the second flange portion 29, the abutting portion 22b does not need to be provided.

As described above, in the second embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is provided only on the rear side of the rail body 21 where the wall W is located. Since the shielding portion 22 can cover and conceal the gap between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W, there is no need to provide a ceiling finishing material 4 between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W, and therefore the end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is not placed on the shielding portion 22.

- Sliding door and ceiling installation procedure -
Next, the installation procedure for the sliding door 10 and the ceiling C will be described.

First, the rail body 21 of the rail 20 is attached to the ceiling base material 3 with screws or the like. The rail body 21 is fixed to the ceiling base material 3 with the wheel portion (sliding portion) 14 of the wheel member 12 housed therein and both ends in the length direction closed with end caps (not shown). The rail body 21 is positioned in a position in the left-right direction where the left end corresponds to the left end of the sliding door 10 in the closed state shown in FIG. 1 and the right end corresponds to the right end of the sliding door 10 in the open state shown in FIG. 2, and in the front-rear direction where the rear end (contact portion 22b) of the shielding portion 22 attached later reaches the wall W next to the opening 1 (right side) (in this embodiment 2, the contact portion 22b of the shielding portion 22 contacts the front surface of the pillar 7), and is fixed to the ceiling base material 3.

After the rail body 21 is attached, the shielding portion 22 is attached to the rail body 21. As shown in FIG. 6, the shielding portion 22 is moved in the direction of the outline arrow (upward) and the second flange portion 29 is fitted into the groove of the engagement portion 22a, thereby engaging the second flange portion 29 with the engagement portion 22a. The shielding portion 22 is supported by the second flange portion 29 as the engagement portion 22a engages with the second flange portion 29, and is kept in a horizontal position as the abutment portion 22b abuts against the front surface of the column 7. Note that since the boards 8, 8 of the wall W are installed after the construction of the ceiling C, the shielding portion 22 simply needs to be moved upward.

After the shielding portion 22 is installed, the ceiling finishing material 4 is applied. The ceiling finishing material 4 is applied so as to surround the rail 20.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the ceiling finishing material 4 provided on the front side of the rail body 21 is positioned so that its rear end surface (end surface) is butted against the front surface of the front side wall portion 24 of the rail body 21 and its rear end rests on the flange portion 28, and is attached to the rafter 5 with screws or the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the ceiling finishing material 4 is not provided on the rear side of the rail body 21 where the wall W is located. The gap formed between the rear side wall portion 25 of the rail 20 and the wall W is covered and hidden by the shielding portion 22, so there is no need to provide the ceiling finishing material 4 on the rear side of the rail body 21 where the wall W is located.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, a ceiling finishing material 4 is provided on the rear side of the rail body 21 where there is no wall W (where there is an opening 1). The ceiling finishing material 4 provided in this area is positioned so that its front end face (end grain face) is abutted against the rear surface of the side wall portion 25 on the rear side of the rail body 21 and its front end rests on the second flange portion 29 (opening side portion 29A), and is attached to the joist 5 with screws or the like.

After the ceiling finish material 4 is installed, the sliding door body 11 of the sliding door 10 is hung on the rail 20. Specifically, the fixed part 13 of the roller member 12, whose roller part (sliding part) 14 is housed in the rail body 21, is inserted into the groove at the upper end of the sliding door body 11, and the fixed part 13 is fixed to the sliding door body 11. As a result, the sliding door 10 is supported slidably on the rail 20 via the roller member 12.

The sliding door 10 and ceiling C are installed according to the above procedure. Note that in the second embodiment, the panel 8 of the wall W is also installed after the ceiling C is installed.

The rail 20 and rail mounting structure of embodiment 2 can achieve the same effects as embodiment 1.

In addition, in the second embodiment, the shielding portion 22 is formed separately from the rail body 21 and is formed to engage with the second flange portion 29. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, a conventional rail having flange portions 28, 29 similarly formed at the lower ends of the two side wall portions 24, 25 is used as the rail body 21, and by simply adding a separate shielding portion 22 that can engage with the second flange portion 29 of the rail body 21, a ceiling-embedded rail 20 that facilitates the construction of the ceiling C can be easily provided.

In addition, the rail 20 and rail mounting structure of embodiment 2 can be applied to locations on the wall W where the board 8 has different thicknesses, without the need to prepare multiple types of rail main body 21, by simply preparing multiple types of shielding portion 22 with different widths.

Other Embodiments
In the above embodiments 1 and 2, examples have been described in which the rail and rail mounting structure of the present invention are used for an offset type sliding door, but the rail and rail mounting structure of the present invention can also be applied to an inset type sliding door.

In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the rail and rail mounting structure according to the present invention are described as being used in a hanging door that is slidably supported on the rail 20 via the door roller member 12, but the rail and rail mounting structure according to the present invention can also be applied to sliding doors other than hanging doors.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, the rail body 21 may have a groove formed in the rear side wall portion 25 into which the door end lock fits.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiments 1 and 2, the vertical frame members 2, 2 may not be provided on the end face (end grain face) of the wall W facing the opening 1, and the end face (end grain face) of the wall W may be given a decorative finish (wall-printed finish) by attaching wallpaper to the front and rear faces.

In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the shielding portion 22 may be provided with at least one plate-shaped protruding piece that protrudes upward from the upper surface and extends in the length direction. The protruding height of the protruding piece is preferably set to a height at which the upper end abuts the ceiling base material 3. By providing such a protruding piece, the rigidity of the shielding portion 22 is increased. In addition, a plurality of protruding pieces may be provided. In addition, when the shielding portion 22 is formed integrally with the rail body 21 as in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the end of the ceiling finishing material 4 is placed on the opening side portion 22A of the shielding portion 22, so that the protruding piece may be provided at a position that does not interfere with the end of the ceiling finishing material 4. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the ceiling finishing material 4 is not placed on the shielding portion 22, the abutting portion 22b that abuts against the front surface of the column 7 may be extended upward to form a protruding piece, or the protruding piece may be provided near the center of the width of the shielding portion 22.

The present invention is useful for ceiling-embedded rails and rail mounting structures that slidably support the sliding parts of a sliding door such as the door collar or door wheels.

Reference Signs List 1 Opening 3 Ceiling underlayment material 4 Ceiling finish material 10 Sliding door 20 Rail 21 Rail body 22 Shielding portion 22a Engagement portion 28 Flange portion 29 Second flange portion C Ceiling W Wall

Claims (5)

A rail for slidably supporting a sliding part of a sliding door that opens and closes an opening by sliding horizontally along a wall in front of the wall in which the opening is formed,
a rail body having a plate-like upper wall portion extending horizontally and first and second side wall portions extending downward from both ends of the upper wall portion in a width direction, the rail body being configured so that the sliding portion is slidably fitted between the first and second side wall portions;
a plate-shaped shielding portion extending from a lower end of the second side wall portion to a side opposite to the first side wall portion in a horizontal direction ,
The shielding portion has a front-to-rear width capable of shielding the gap between the second side wall portion and the wall when the rail is viewed from below , the rail body being installed within the ceiling in front of the wall and the second side wall portion being positioned rearward of the first side wall portion. 2. The rail according to claim 1,
The rail body further has a flange portion protruding from a lower end portion of the first side wall portion toward a side opposite the second side wall portion in a horizontal direction ,
A rail characterized in that the front-to-rear width of the shielding portion is greater than the protruding width of the flange portion. A rail for slidably supporting a sliding part of a sliding door that opens and closes an opening by sliding horizontally along a wall in front of the wall in which the opening is formed,
a rail body having a plate-like upper wall portion extending horizontally and first and second side wall portions extending downward from both ends of the upper wall portion in a width direction, the rail body being configured so that the sliding portion is slidably fitted between the first and second side wall portions;
a plate-shaped shielding portion extending from a lower end portion of the second side wall portion to a side opposite to the first side wall portion,
the shielding portion has a width capable of shielding a gap between the second side wall portion and the wall when the rail is attached so that the rail main body is in a ceiling in front of the wall and the second side wall portion is located rearward of the first side wall portion,
The rail is characterized in that the shielding portion is formed integrally with the rail body. 3. The rail according to claim 2,
The rail body further has a second flange portion having the same width as the flange portion protruding from a lower end of the second side wall portion toward a side opposite the first side wall portion in the horizontal direction ,
A rail characterized in that the shielding portion is formed separately from the rail body and has an engagement portion that engages with the second flange portion of the rail body. A rail mounting structure for mounting a rail in a ceiling, the rail supporting a sliding part of a sliding door that opens and closes an opening by sliding horizontally along a wall in front of the wall in which the opening is formed,
The rail is a rail according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
the rail is attached to the ceiling underlayment at a position where the rail body is in the ceiling in front of the wall, the second side wall portion is behind the first side wall portion, and a rear end of the shielding portion reaches the wall;
A rail mounting structure, characterized in that a gap between the second side wall portion and the wall is shielded by the shielding portion.